Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawks play a vital role in controlling small mammal population, and rodents comprise about 85% of their diet. Their excellent eyesight helps them spot small mammals, such as mice, voles, shrews, squirrels, rabbits, and opossums from heights of up to 100 feet as they swoop down from the air and use their sharp talons to capture. These hawks have also been observed hunting in pairs. As the two hunting partners circle and stalk opposite sides of a tree, their prey are panicked and driven out of the tree to be captured by the clever hawks. Red-tailed Hawks have a very wide range and are found throughout North America. As one of the most common hawks, you are likely to see this bird of prey perched on high wires and poles or slowly circling the sky in search of prey.